wait a minute, you wern't going to win with that system anyways remember?
that's why you got shaq...
at least that's what the suns fans keep saying to justify the trade...

now which is it? excuses for a bad run of luck or excuses for d'antoni's system?

In 05-06 the SUns had a legit chance to win the championship with Dallas beating the Spurs. With Amare I think there style could have won it because they would have been matched up with Dallas and then Miami who wasnt a very good team.

I brought up Joe Johnson because it was bad luck. Never said they would have won it. I'm pretty sure they would have took it to 6 though.

I did say (to god? myself? my friends? my family?) after we 3-peated during the Kobe/Shaq years that I would never again complain about not having been blessed with great luck as a Lakers fan. Not only did my two favorite players (KB and the diesel) win 3 titles, but they did it just as I became old enough to truly understand, love, and follow basketball. They did it in entertaining ways, with last minute comebacks, last second shots, emerging superstars, amazing role-players. All that came following the heart-breaking defeats year after year to the Jazz and others, a long period of mediocrity, and turbulence. It was sweeter than I could have ever imagined.

I won't get down on this recent string of bad luck. Sure it would be nice to win it all every year, but its also nice to remind yourself that you as a Laker fan have lived through more titles than most teams have in their history. God certainly does not hate the Lakers, he just wants us to enjoy the victories even more later, by going through a bit of pain now!

All is well....we just need to get a top four seed and that is still very very doable.

And the past history of the first seed out West just goes to show it don't matter. We just need our troops healthy and ready come playoffs. And there is still time for that. Every game here on out will be like a playoff game in the West..and Pau and Bynum should be back real soon. Same goes with Mihm...so we will have three bigs. Trust me...NOBODY will want to see us come playoff time!!!!